Winged warriors

August 14, 2013 by Created by RCW

As I continue to live without a telephoto lens, I find my winged colleagues in the nearby ravine are doing their best to help me with my photography. I could still use a bit more help…or at least a closer vantage point.

: Unfortunately, he was so far away the resolution isn’t great…I like the composition though

: The cropped version was nice, but I prefer having a bit more background context

: Even the sparrows proved challenging to photograph today

: Two tiny sparrows commune in a tree

: This young lady wasn’t sure she wanted her photo taken

: …but then decided to show me her good side

I know I wood

August 13, 2013 by Created by RCW

Another lovely morning and another traipse through a nearby ravine, checking out the flora and fauna (as well as a few protists, dirt and water).

: While not large, the ravine remains lush in late summer

: The fruit almost looks like a red cephalopod reaching for prey

: I liked the way the branches crisscrossed the leaves like nerve fibers in a green brain

: Tiny flowers that look wilted, they are hard to focus on

: Love the primary simplicity…no variegation, no shade, just pure colour

: A droplet of water is a lagoon within a single petal

: An ancient leviathan rises from the soil…or it’s an odd stump

: The bee was not my goal with this image…promise

: The yellow contrasts the purple beautifully

: I find focusing on a bunch of buds difficult

: This was going to be a bee photo, but guess what…

Touch

August 11, 2013 by Created by RCW

A young plant reaches out for support

Striving, searching,

Reaching for contact;

Awaiting a touch,

A connection,

To coil about,

To cling to,

In the darkness,

The vast unknown.

We are not alone,

But stand apart

Until our senses

Mingle with those

Who likewise need

Our community.

Plant one on me

August 10, 2013 by Created by RCW

While I am addicted to the kingdom Animalia, I must admit to an expanding appreciation for plants.

There is a certain elegant simplicity at their most superficial that masks a magnificent complexity within. While typically more stationary than most animals, aside from the odd breeze, these biologic wonders seem to be more than capable of a vivacity that borders on personality.

I appreciate that I am romanticizing them, but how can you look at the following images and not think that there is something going on. And it’s not the photographer’s talent. They are spectacular, I just captured the spectacle.

: The variegation on the fruit drew me

: There was no murmuring or whispering as in all the books

: The way the shadows danced across the bright petals was magical

: The branch reached to the sky, its leaves embracing the breeze

: Look, ma. No bees in this photo!

The Upside of Down

August 8, 2013 by Created by RCW

As I examined the photos I took the other day walking the waterfront of Toronto’s east end, I realized that much of my world was apparently upside-down. See for yourself.

: It would seem the first step in dragonfly mating would be drowning your mate

: A snail rests on a branch that must weigh less than it

: The lady takes a moment to reflect

: The extended leg is an attempt to grab a ride to the next plant

: My uncles had these when they were kids in the 50s

: The daring do of a death-defying beetle

: Only clear shot of a bird on the move

City on the lake

August 6, 2013 by Created by RCW

A long weekend Monday in Toronto saw thousands make their way to the beach. If this summer doesn’t get crappy soon, I may not get any work done.

: The downtown core nestles across the channel as sail boats move in and out

: I admit the bathing suit drew me, but the bubbles made me take the photo

: A young couple attracts the attention of a hungry duck

: Aggressively ploughing the water, the kayaker push himself through the bay

: Apparently, the call was important enough to interrupt a beautiful day

: Everyone found a way to take to the waves today

: Numerous kites flew today, but few were as imposing as this fighter jet

Birds and slimy things

August 2, 2013 by Created by RCW

More photos from my recent walk through the nearby ravine.

: His colour was amazing

: Hard to pick out from amongst the shrubs, but he is in there

: He hopped around for a bit, but then settled for a photo

: Thanks to a new friend for pointing out the nestlings

: Momma checks out the guy with the camera

: Finally, a snail that isn’t hidden in its shell

: Making sure I’m okay before continuing on its way

I had no idea

July 31, 2013 by Created by RCW

Ideas are everywhere, but they don’t always look like ideas

“How the heck did you come up with that?”

It’s a common question I get when talking about my latest ideas, and for years, my answer was a resounding “I dunno…just came to me.”

To a limited extent, the response is correct, but it suggests the process of ideation is much more passive or deus ex machina than it really is.

Ideas surround me, as they do you. They are in the nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs that make up our moment-by-moment reality. They are in the streetcar in which I presently ride, the streets down which I presently travel.

In the dark-haired beauty two rows before me who is fixated on adjusting her hair rather than close the window through which the hair-mussing breeze blows. And in the armada of free-range humans who occupy the parkette we just passed, proving themselves houseless rather than homeless.

The challenge for many would-be writers is that these are starting points for ideas rather than fully fledged stories or subjects. These are the writers who wish to be reporters or chroniclers rather than explorers.

Think instead of these idea kernels as pieces of clay, as something that can be moulded into any of a thousand other shapes. Take the kernel and play with it for a while. Give yourself a chance to see what it feels like, smells like, sounds like, tastes like.

Twist it. Turn parts of it over. Reverse its halves.

What is something were feasting on Toronto’s homeless? Imagine a mobile service that will do your hair and makeup while you commute to work. What if a terrorist planted a bomb on a streetcar and it had to travel no slower than 50 mph? Or an aesthetician to the deceased in From Hair to Eternity.

All of these are probably bad ideas, but the ideas have evolved.

Twist it again. Mould it again. Press it onto something else, like so much Silly Putty, and see what sticks.

Keep the good. Set aside the bad. But keep working it until something you really like begins to show itself.

You have no idea the wonders you will discover.